As Friends Will Be
by Always Straightedge and proud
Summary: A moment of chance leads to the start of a friendship, between Jeff Hardy and CM Punk


July 25th 2008. Phil glanced at his watch, that read nearly 1:30 a.m., before he pressed himself up to his feet from the booth and walked to the door, dodging the other wrestlers and divas drinking and dancing with one other and strangers. Phil just stepped outside, when he immediately heard someone groaning, a few feet away. Phil turned then walked around the corner of the building, to the alleyway, where he saw someone on their hands and knees, before the guy leaned back slightly.

Phil caught sight of Jeff's face, causing him to dash over to his side. Jeff put his head in his hands, before Phil slipped his arm around Jeff's back, then helping him to his feet. Jeff staggered backwards slightly, causing him to say softly.

"Easy now, I've got you, Jeff. I won't let you fall."

Jeff grunted weakly.

"The way I feel, I'd rather you carry me, at least to your rental car, Phillip."

"Sure I would, but have to take in consideration, the fact that you might vomit on me, and two I wouldn't want to cause you, a moment of indignation. Besides I'm sure your head is spinning, so walking is best for you, well that and my car is about 50 feet down the street, so just lean against me, and close your eyes. I won't let you fall or trip, I promise."

Jeff mumbled something inaudibly. Phil bit his lip, then without a word, he slipped his arm underneath Jeff's knees, gathering him up into his arms, then hurried to his car, and carefully set Jeff back down on his feet, keeping a steady hand on Jeff's shoulder, as he fished out his keys from his pocket and quickly unlocked the car, before he carefully helped Jeff to slide into the front seat. Phil paused and asked in a low voice.

"Would you be more comfortable in the backseat, Jeff? I mean, so you could lay down."

Jeff shook his head weakly.

"There you are, Jeff."

Phil turned to see Matt striding down the street to where they was. Matt reached past Phil and placed his hand on Jeff's head, as he quietly asked.

"Alright you okay, Jeff? When you vanished, I'm sorry it took me this long to find you."

Jeff bit his lip, as he muttered.

"It's okay, Phil is going to take me back to the hotel."

Jeff shifted, and pulled out his wallet and pressed a twenty into Matt's hand.

"Here, please use this to get back to the hotel, Matt."

Matt looked at Phil, who gave a curt nod. Matt said simply.

"Alright, I guess I will see you later back int he hotel room or the following morning, if you choose to crash into Phil's hotel room.

Thirty minutes later. Jeff laid there, on the bed whimpering, before Phil loosely laid a warm washcloth over his forehead and eyes. Jeff shifted it, when he heard a slight tearing sound, aside from a faint rattle. Jeff gave him a puzzled look, seeing Phil setting a bottle down, next to a yogurt cup, then he quickly helped Jeff to sit up and pressed a bottle of 7-Up up against his lips, as he said gently.

"Here you need to take at least 4 or 5 sips or drinks, before eating half of the yogurt, then I will give you something to help your headache."

"Okay, thank you."

Jeff whimpered dryly, in a trembling voice. Phil sat down beside him, keeping the soda close to him, then replaced the cap, and picked up the yogurt cup and plastic spoon. Jeff pressed his hands against his stomach.

"Here, you should eat this as well."

Jeff opened his eyes, to see Phil now holding a couple saltine crackers. Jeff took them weakly and chewed on them slowly, before Phil picked up the spoon and yogurt up again. Jeff managed to force down the three spoonfuls, before Jeff shifted, seeing that Phil had placed two pills on top of the yogurt.

"So that you can swallow them more easily."

Jeff closed his eyes again, letting Phil place the spoon in his mouth. Jeff swallowed, then his eyes fluttered open at the feeling of Phil pressing something against his mouth.

"Here you need to try and drink some more of the 7-Up, Jeff. I know you are feeling worse than utter shit. But everything will help you in time."

Jeff swallowed a few more sips, then turned his head away. Phil sighed, but replaced the lid again, then stood up, gathering up everything from the nightstand and took the bottle and yogurt to the fridge and put them inside, then placed the pain pills on the dresser. Phil leaned against the dresser, as he stared at Jeff, then asked softly.

"Do you want me to help you lay down?"

"Not yet, but you can read to me, from one of your comic books, so I can get my mind on something else, while waiting for the pills to take affect."

"Okay, I don't mind doing that."

The next morning. Phil sat there beside Jeff, watching him sleep, before he saw him stir slightly, with his eyes opening then shutting just as quickly. Phil bit his lip, knowing that Jeff never noticed him yet, but he could tell he had a major headache, then he said softly.

"I know you are awake, Jeff. Is there anything that you want me to get for you?"

Jeff's eyes flew open, before he immediately covered his face with his hands, as he muttered weakly.

"7-up would be better than anything medication wise, right now, with how my stomach and head, is spinning."

"Alright, I'll go get you some, be back in 5 minutes or so, I promise."

Several minutes later. Jeff managed to lay back down, noting the look on Phil's face, causing him to groan, then hiss.

"Just say it and get it over with, you already are thinking it, if your face is any hint."

Phil startled slightly, then turned his face and looked down at Jeff.

"Say what? What are you talking about, Jeff?"

Jeff snorted and pressed the heels of his hands against his face, then blew out a breath and growled quietly.

"You are sitting there, all high and mighty, thinking how I am just a drunk."

Phil chuckled, then shook his head, and said simply.

"No, Jeff. I was not thinking about you in that way, but I will say this is that, if I'm not mistaken, I do recall that you refused to go out with Matt, and the rest of your friends. But yet when I was heading back to the hotel, I found you in the alleyway, beside the club, puking your guys out more of less. So I was just trying to remember just when you agreed to go with them, just from miserable you looked when I was helping you into my rental car."

Jeff squeezed his eyes shut, then whimpered.

"You wasn't around, I only agreed because I didn't have another ride back tot he hotel, and Matt was planning on going straight to the bar, and refused to consider letting me off at the hotel room first, since it was on the other side of the town."

"So he forced you to go, and let me guess coerced you into drinking as well."

"No need for you to make him sound like an asshole, who only lives to make me incapable of saying no to his demands."

"I'm sorry."

Jeff opened his eyes and glared at him, as he hissed.

"You should be, Phillip."

Phil stared down at his hands, studying his tattoos on his fingers. Jeff snorted and shifted, then laid on his left side as he jerked the blankets up to his head.

"Asshole."

"I'd just hate to see something happen to you, Jeff, and I'd wish you would stick to your guns, in your first decision, and not let Matt change your mind or force what he wants on you. You are on a very narrow ledge."

"I don't need you to tell me that, Phillip. It's easy for you, you haven't spoken to your older brother for nine years. Not that I blame you. But I don't have your number, and I tried to find you before choosing to go with Matt. However, Am I correct, in guessing that you have already programmed your cellphone number into my phone by now?"

Jeff shifted, so he could see Phil's face, spotting a very faint smile on Phil's face.

"You are a prude, Phillip."

Jeff bit the inside of his cheek seeing the slightly shocked look on his face, before Phil cleared his throat.

"I have been accused of many things, but that was a first of being accused of being a prude, I think."

Jeff sighed, putting his head in his hands.

"You are about as much of a prude as I am a drunk."

"Jeff, I never called you a drunk, all I said that you are walking on a dangerous and very narrow ledge. Well that and that I am concerned about you."

Jeff sighed again, before he laid back down once more. Phil pushed himself up and stated simply.

"I'm going down to the free breakfast area, you want me to bring you back something?"

"Whatever you are having or whatever you ate there."

"Alright, I'll just get two plates of food and bring them back here."

"No, I don't want you to chance spilling any of it, Phil. I'm probably going to fall asleep again soon."

"If you are asleep, when I get back, I will just put your food in the fridge, then."

An hour later. Jeff woke up to the motion of sitting someone on the bed, causing his eyes to flutter open, before he shut them once more, seeing the rigid figure of Phil sitting beside him, before he heard his harsh whisper.

"You aren't doing yourself any favors, in pretending to still be sleeping, Jeff. Since I saw your eyes open for a second."

Jeff took a deep breath, then exhaled, before taking a second and blowing it out, as he managed to steel up his courage, to push himself up into a semi-sitting position and say simply.

"I hate whenever people are pissed at me, chose to punish me further, by dragging it out before I ask them to just spit it out and rage at me or whatever. Straight up anger is better than the quiet seething mood, that I can see you are currently in."

"Well I don't like being lied to."

"When exactly did I lie to you, Phillip? How can I possibly lie to you, to a question you never asked."

"You got suspended last night, from failing a wellness drug test."

Phil's voice came out, as sharp as the edge of a knife. Jeff closed his eyes, then whispered in a barely audible voice.

"I was drug-tested two weeks and a day ago."

Jeff bit his lip, when he felt Phil launch himself up to his feet, hearing him pacing furiously around the room. Jeff opened his eyes, when he heard him finally stop pacing, to see Phil standing there, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, as he glared out of the window. Jeff slipped out of the bed, hoping to get to the door, once he gathered up his phone and room key, before Phil noticed his attempting to leave.

"Do you honestly think you could reach the door, and escape the room, before I grab you, Jeff?"

Jeff froze from where he was beside the dresser, his hand hovering over his phone, casting a glance at Phil, who was still staring out the window. Jeff snatched it up and slid it into his pocket. Phil gave a dry chuckle, and added over his shoulder.

"You do realize the door has a chain on it, Jeff. We are going to talk, before I even consider letting you out of my hotel room. If you run, it will just make things worse on you, because you will not even get a chance to unhook the chain, I promise you that much. This room is maybe 25 feet or less than that, every time I get a chance to, I run no matter where I am, at home or on the road. When is the last time you have ran, Jeff? But be my guess, If you think you can flee the room, before I'm on you, because I will be, and then you'd see how I act, in the midst of one of my infamous tirades."

Jeff stared down at the dresser, where his hands was gripping the sides of it, before stealing a glance at the door, knowing it was pointless to even try, since he didn't want to be tackled by Phil.

"No one can turn back time, even if that would be cool, but the fact still remains that I did see you at one of your most weakest times, Jeff, no matter how much you wish otherwise."

"We're not friends, so you can't tell me anything, Phillip."

"I haven't told you to do anything, Jeff. Only just gave you some hard facts, that you have accepted that it is the truth, except I'd appreciate it, if you looked me in the eyes, Jeff, and not be staring down at the dresser."

Jeff swallowed, then raised his head and glanced over at the window, before he heard Phil's dry chuckle, from his left side. Jeff shifted, turning to face him, knowing Phil had intentionally put himself in between Jeff and the door.

"Why?"

Phil raised his right eyebrow, as he walked over to the bed that Jeff had slept in, and sat down studying Jeff silently, before he laid back, crossing his fingers over his chest.

"Go ahead, I'll give you one chance to get to the door, Jeff. Maybe you'd even manage to escape out into the freedom of the hallway. If you are fast enough, of course."

"Why does anyone who gets trapped in an misfortune by you have to choose between one of your lectures or being screamed at by you? Why do you insist on being an utterly insufferable bastard, Phil, it's like you never knew a moment of peace or being happy, so you have to make everyone else miserable, because of it."

Phil sat up, when Jeff started talking, before a strange look crossed Phil's face briefly. Jeff stared at him, when Phil leaned forward, as he said, in a hard voice.

"My past is none of your concern, Jeff. You'd do best to always remember that."

Jeff watched him push himself up to his feet, causing Jeff to shrink back against the dresser, realizing that he had accidentally struck a nerve. Jeff held his hands up in surrender, seeing the livid look that was burning in Phil's eyes, that flashed briefly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it, just trying to figure you out. But the way you look now, that is more than enough for me to know something major happened to you when you was younger, maybe when you was a kid."

Phil clenched his hands briefly. Jeff dropped his voice, as he took a seat on the bed.

"I'm sorry for prying, but if you are prying into my private life that gives me the right to do the same and you know it."

Phil snorted, but sat down beside Jeff then said quietly.

"Not enough time in the day to tell my story and I don't have a desire to drudge up old history either. Unless you wanted to do something for me."

"And that would be? Should I even ask?"

Phil shrugged, then said flatly.

"Call your girlfriend and tell her, that you'd be coming home with me this week and I'd tell you anything you want to know, only after we get to my place, not before."

"You don't give anything freely, do you, even when you are out with everyone, you still remain as guarded as you are right now."

"Blame life for that, Jeff."


End file.
